ECONOMIC RECOVERY |
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Recovery Rebates to jumpstart economy, help Americans with rising costs SIGNED INTO LAW
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Extended Unemployment benefits for 3.5 million Americans ON WAY TO PRESIDENT'S DESK |
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First increase in the minimum wage in a decade SIGNED INTO LAW
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Highway Bill, creating 40,000 good-paying jobs SIGNED INTO LAW
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Farm Bill with historic new investments in nutrition, energy, and conservation, and launching reforms to farm payments to reflect farmer need VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW
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Terrorism risk insurance extension, aiding economic growth SIGNED INTO LAW
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Closing tax loopholes for companies and executives that ship American jobs or investment off shore PASSED HOUSE |
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HOUSING FORECLOSURE CRISIS
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Comprehensive housing foreclosure crisis bill, preventing families from losing their homes, and a critical step in an American economic recovery PASSED HOUSE
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Reform of the Federal Housing Administration, expanding access to affordable mortgages, and to “reverse mortgages" for seniors who need equity from their homes PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
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Stopping tax on "income" when lender forgives part of mortgage in foreclosure SIGNED INTO LAW
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Helping states/localities purchase foreclosed homes, stabilizing communities PASSED HOUSE |
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EDUCATION AND COMPETITIVENESS
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Largest college aid expansion since the GI Bill in 1944 SIGNED INTO LAW
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Uninterrupted access to low-cost student loans, despite credit crunch SIGNED INTO LAW
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Giving colleges incentives to rein in tuition increases PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
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Cleaning up abuses in the student loan industry PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
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Innovation agenda creating a math/science teacher corps; doubling basic research funding SIGNED INTO LAW
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Extended tax cut for innovative research & development PASSED HOUSE
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Head Start preschool improved and expanded SIGNED INTO LAW
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Key investments in education VETOED BY PRESIDENT |
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REDUCING TAXES
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A tax cut for 19 million middle-income American families facing the AMT SIGNED INTO LAW
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Internet tax moratorium extension SIGNED INTO LAW
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Extended tax cuts for homeowners, families with children, college students, teachers PASSED HOUSE |
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AMERICAN WORKERS
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Minimum wage increased for the first time in a decade, 2nd phase this July SIGNED INTO LAW
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Extending & improving help for workers who lose jobs to foreign competition PASSED HOUSE
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Allowing women & other workers to pursue pay discrimination claims PASSED HOUSE
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Prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation PASSED HOUSE
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Collective bargaining rights for first responders PASSED HOUSE
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Free choice for workers to choose their own bargaining representative PASSED HOUSE |
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Reversing Supreme Court decision that had weakened Americans with Disabilities Act PASSED HOUSE |
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AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
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Health care coverage for 10 million American children VETOED BY PRESIDENT
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Expansion of life-saving stem cell research that could cure or prevent chronic diseases VETOED BY PRESIDENT
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Key investments in health care VETOED BY PRESIDENT
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Ban on genetic information discrimination in health coverage SIGNED INTO LAW
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Ending discriminatory treatment of mental health care coverage PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
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Medicare required to negotiate cheaper drugs for seniors and disabled Americans PASSED HOUSE
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Preserving access to and improving Medicare by reforming provider reimbursements and expanding benefits PASSED HOUSE
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Blocking $18 billion cut in health care for low-income children & seniors ON WAY TO PRESIDENT'S DESK |
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NATIONAL SECURITY
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9/11 Commission terrorism recommendations given force of law SIGNED INTO LAW
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Investments to begin to fix the military readiness crisis SIGNED INTO LAW
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Iraq benchmarks, progress reports required SIGNED INTO LAW
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Providing for responsible redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq VETOED BY PRESIDENT
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Extending ban on torture to U.S. intelligence personnel VETOED BY PRESIDENT
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Tighter foreign investment rules, after Dubai Ports scandal SIGNED INTO LAW |
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TROOPS AND VETERANS
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New GI Bill to give free college education to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans SIGNED INTO LAW |
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Largest veterans' health care funding increase in history SIGNED INTO LAW |
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Wounded Warrior Act, improving health care after Walter Reed scandal SIGNED INTO LAW
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Major pay raise for troops SIGNED INTO LAW
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Significant tax relief for military families SIGNED INTO LAW |
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ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND GLOBAL WARMING
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Landmark Energy Independence law: first new fuel efficiency standards in 32 years, building efficiency standards, historic commitment to bio-fuels SIGNED INTO LAW
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Extending and expanding tax incentives to invest in clean, renewable energy PASSED HOUSE
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Historic new support for non-food bio-fuels in the Farm Bill VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW
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Directing the President to lower gas prices by suspending deposits to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve SIGNED INTO LAW
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Holding OPEC and Big Oil accountable for price fixing PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
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Cracking down on price gouging by oil companies PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
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Greening the Capitol, making Congress carbon neutral ENACTED BY HOUSE |
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Reducing public transit fares and expanding service for commuters pinched at the pump PASSED HOUSE |
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REBUILDING AMERICA
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Aid to the Gulf Coast recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita SIGNED INTO LAW
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Major new commitment to flood control & environmental restoration projects VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW |
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Omnibus Public Lands Bill, with new protections for national parks, wilderness, historic sites, trails, and water resources from coast to coast SIGNED INTO LAW |
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Modernizing and improving Amtrak and other inter-city passenger rail for energy efficiency PASSED HOUSE |
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CONSUMER PROTECTION
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Most sweeping FDA drug safety provisions in more than a decade SIGNED INTO LAW
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Banning toxic toys from China and other countries PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
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Passenger Bill of Rights for airline travelers PASSED HOUSE |
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FIGHTING CRIME
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Improved background checks for gun purchases SIGNED INTO LAW
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3,000 New Border Patrol Officers SIGNED INTO LAW
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Saved the critical COPS program, proposed for elimination by the President SIGNED INTO LAW
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Tools and resources to prevent and prosecute hate crimes PASSED BY HOUSE |
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FISCAL DISCIPLINE
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Pay-as-you-go budget discipline ADOPTED IN HOUSE RULES
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A fiscally responsible budget that balances by 2012 and invests in key priorities PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE, NO PRESIDENTIAL ACTION REQUIRED |
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RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY
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Widely-acclaimed landmark lobbying and ethics reform SIGNED INTO LAW
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New historic independent Office of Congressional Ethics ADOPTED IN HOUSE RULES
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Banning pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes SIGNED INTO LAW
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Strengthening Freedom of Information Act for government transparency SIGNED INTO LAW
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U.S. Attorney appointments depoliticized SIGNED INTO LAW
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Reducing enormous backlog in passport processing SIGNED INTO LAW
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Closing offshore tax loopholes for federal contractors SIGNED INTO LAW |
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Cracking down on "no-bid" contracts PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE
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Whistleblower protections strengthened PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE
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Strengthening independence of federal Inspectors General PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE
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Holding private security firms in war zones accountable for criminal actions PASSED BY HOUSE
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Prohibiting profiteering by U.S. contractors operating in war zones PASSED BY HOUSE
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Withholding federal contracts from tax-delinquent companies PASSED BY HOUSE
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Closing off shore tax loopholes for federal contractors PASSED BY HOUSE
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Requiring mandatory fraud reporting for U.S. contractors PASSED BY HOUSE
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Requiring more transparency by companies that rely on federal contracts PASSED BY HOUSE |